Mumbai: Mahindra Navistar Automotives Limited (MNAL) will be investing around Rs 250 crore in the next couple of years to increase production capacity of HCVs and expand distribution network. The company has already invested Rs 710 crore at the Chakan unit.

MNAL today announced its pan India commercial launch. MNAL has added new HCVs to the MN25 launched earlier, the MN31, MN40 and MN25 tipper. "We can today proclaim with confidence that our products, the MN25, MN31, MN40, MN25 Tipper are truly MADE IN INDIA, MADE FOR INDIA," said Nalin Mehta, Managing Director, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Limited.

"We propose to launch products like the MN35, MN49, MN25 Heavy duty Tipper (for mining) and certain other model variants during the next financial year," he added. "During this short one year period, MNAL has adequate market experience and customer feedback to significantly enhance the performance, fuel efficiency and value that our products offer."

MNAL offers products between 4.5 and 9 tonne and between 25 and 40 tonne, including Rigid Truck, Multi Axle truck, Tipper and Tractor Trailer. The company has over 2500 HCVs on the roads and has crossed 10,000 LCVs sales per annum.

In 2005, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and Navistar - entered into a JV to manufacture light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles for India as well as global markets. The joint venture is in the process of addressing every segment of the commercial vehicle market from 3.5 tonne GVW to 49 tonne GCW with variants of passenger transport, cargo and specialized load applications.

The new HCV product range has been engineered to meet Indian requirements with technological expertise from Navistar with the underlying philosophy of ‘Made in India, Made for India and Made with 175 years of international trucking expertise’. The new range of medium and heavy commercial vehicles is being manufactured at a new green field plant at Chakan. The plant, which spans over 700 acres, has been set up with investments of over Rs.4000 crore and is producing other M&M products as well. This is helping MNAL leverage the benefits of synergies of an integrated manufacturing facility.

Mehta said that the company has introduced two new customer-centric initiatives - 48 hours on-road repair assurance and 4-years unlimited mileage warranty. Currently MNAL has 48 dealers pan-India at various locations. Additionally, 50 new dealers are likely to be added in the next 12-18 months taking the grand total to 100. MNAL has added around 940 service points all across India.

"This is a landmark day in the history of Mahindra Navistar as it marks another very important milestone. After seeding sales in select markets and building a formidable service network of nearly 940 service points on strategic trucking routes, MNAL is all set to take on the length and breadth of the country through its commercial Launch. Today, we are a full range Commercial Vehicle player with a pan-India service network dedicated towards our customers," said Dr. Pawan Goenka, Director, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Limited and President – Automotive & Farm Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Dr. Pawan Goenka said that the Rs 60,000 crore, commercial vehicle segment in the country is likely to grow by 9 percent in the second half of FY12. The segment witnessed 8 percent growth during the first half of FY 12.